


Ten Years Later- The Journey

by FantasyScribe



Series: I Hate How Much I Love You [3]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: M/M, OCs galore, Rich Goranski mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 16:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12775239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasyScribe/pseuds/FantasyScribe
Summary: This is the last side story I plan on doing for I Hate How Much I Love You (unless inspiration strikes). It is Michael and Jeremy, but ten years later.





	Ten Years Later- The Journey

Jeremy jolted awake at the feeling of descension. Michael patted him on the shoulder gently.

            “Hey Jer, we’re here,” he said, looking out the window with interest. This was his second time coming to the Philippines. The first time was when he was two, so he honestly couldn’t recall his time there. Jeremy rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked past Michael at the view. The city was expansive, and the ocean was gorgeous. Jeremy felt anxious anticipation as they began to land.

Jeremy and Michael left the tarmac to go meet Michael’s cousin Benjamin. They had just landed in Manila and were both exhausted. They had flown for over twenty hours, but had finally made it to the Philippines!

            Both men held hands as they maneuvered the crowds to get to their luggage. After procuring their bags, they headed to the airport entrance. They looked above the crowd to see a sign that said ‘Mell’ in large, bold black letters. Michael smiled and pulled Jeremy through the crowd towards the sign.

            “Hello! Michael, Jeremy!” An older man, Michael’s third cousin Benjamin, holding the sign said.

            “Hello!” Michael said as he shook the man’s hand warmly. The man beamed and looked at Jeremy.

            “Hello, it’s nice to meet you!” Jeremy said extending his hand. Benjamin smiled and took the offered hand, shaking it gently.

            “It’s nice to meet you too!” he said back. Benjamin was an English professor at one of the institutions in Manila. A profession that made Michael’s grandparents proud to no end. Jeremy had been excited to meet him. He had initially been intimidated coming to another country where he thought he didn’t know the language well, but Michael assured him that speaking English was common there. This fact relieved Jeremy.

            Benjie, as he asked to be called, helped them pile their belongings in the car. Michael rode shotgun while Jeremy rode in the back. Jeremy looked at his surroundings with interest as Michael and his cousin spoke Tagalog up front. Jeremy only knew words and short phrases, even after being married for 10 years and knowing him for 24, Jeremy still sucked at his husband’s other language.

            They thankfully made it to Benjie’s apartment in no time at all. Jeremy was exhausted. Benjie led them to the elevator and pressed in the number to his floor. Benjie and his wife Marisol had been married for 30 years, when their two children had grown and moved out, both parents had decided to sell their home for a smaller living space. It was currently working out well for them.

            Entering the apartment behind Benjie, they saw an enthusiastic middle-aged Filipino woman come up and grab their hands. She spoke in a quick string of Tagalog that left Jeremy’s head spinning. Michael laughed and replied. Something he said caused her to blush and look at Jeremy apologetically.

            “I am sorry! When I get excited I don’t know when to stop talking!” she sheepishly said.

            “It’s okay! It’s interesting to hear. It sounds beautiful!” Jeremy complimented. She beamed at him.

            “You got yourself a good one Michael! He’s so cute too!” She said, causing Jeremy to blush. Michael laughed, and held onto his waist.

            “Thank you! I think so too!”

            “You boys must be tired! I’ll show you to your room,” she said, and waved them to follow her. Benjie waved at them from the couch as they followed her out.

            When both men were settled and washed away the travel stink from themselves, they hopped into bed. Jeremy and Michael looked at one another and smiled.

            “You excited for tomorrow?” Michael asked. Jeremy chuckled.

            “Is that a trick question? Of course, I am. We’ve been waiting on this for a while now,” he said, then yawned.

            “I would say I’m too pumped to sleep, but that would be a lie,” Michael said, rubbing his eyes from under his glasses. He took them off and sat them on the bedside table. Jeremy snuggled up to him and silently nodded his agreement.

            It wasn’t long before they were both fast asleep.

__________________________________________________________

            Jeremy and Michael slept through the night and woke up during mid-morning. After cleaning up and dressing in their best business casual outfits. When they walked into the living room Marisol served them breakfast. Jeremy was too excited to eat, and Michael had force feed him the eggs on his plate.

            Afterwards, the group left the apartment and headed out of Manila. Michael and Jeremy held hands in the backseat while Benjie drove, and Marisol drove shotgun. Still not being fully recovered from the jet lag, Jeremy’s eyes began to flutter after an hour of driving. Benjie had told them the drive would take a few hours, so he gave into his urge and laid his head on Michael’s shoulder. He fell asleep almost instantly.

            He woke up to being shaken slightly, and looked up to see Michael smiling at him.

            “We’re here,” he quietly said. Jeremy felt excitement take over, and he beamed. Michael flushed. It was always flattering to know that even after 10 years of marriage he could still fluster his husband with just a smile. Michael leaned forward and brushed their lips together. Jeremy felt his face heat up. It was also nice to know that the flustering still went both ways. Separating, they both opened their doors and stepped out of the vehicle.

            The rural farmland community was beautiful. The greenery was thick and vibrant, rolling across the hilly terrain. Jeremy could see people out among the levies, harvesting their labor with large sun hats on their heads. The tin houses were scattered haphazardly across the landscape. Jeremy breathed in the fresh air and smiled up at the light blue sky. It really was a perfect day.

            Jeremy and Michael followed their family members to a small tin hut that was about 100 square feet. There were several old blankets and tarps that covered the excess spaces in between the tin. Several children played around the hut while an older woman sitting in a wooden chair stood up from her seat.

            The group walked up to the woman. Marisol and Benjie began to rapidly speak in Tagalog. The woman nodded and looked toward the two men when Benjie pointed toward them. She widened her eyes slightly, but gave no other indication on what she was feeling. After a few more minutes, the three finally broke apart. The elderly woman walked into the tin hut waving for them to follow.

            Jeremy breathed in deeply, holding Michael’s hand as he did so. Michael looked like he was mentally preparing himself as well. They followed her into the small, musky space to see a young preteen girl laying on a pallet made of old linens, which were soiled by the dirt floor.

            The girl had long wavy black hair and dark eyes that looked too big for her small, thin face. She wore a faded brown skirt and soiled red tank top. The girl looked exhausted, but otherwise, no worse for wear. The older woman spoke in a tone of authority in Tagalog to the girl.

            She looked up at the men with a look of uncertainty. Michael smiled and bent down towards the girl, holding out his hand for her to shake. She smiled slightly and shook his hand with her own. Michael talked in hushed tones to her in Tagalog, squeezing her hand slightly as if in comfort. During his talk, he nodded towards Jeremy every so often.

            When he was done, they separated, and the girl said something to the older woman. The woman nodded and shuffled to the right corner of the hut behind the girl. Jeremy soon heard the cries of an infant, and his heart swelled. He wanted to tear up, but held it in.

            The woman turned around with an infant bundled in soiled linens, the top most being a towel that had already seen many days. The cries coming from the pile of rags was soft at a moderate volume, not a high squealing sound that Jeremy had heard he had had when he was a baby.

The woman began to hand the baby to Michael, but was rebuffed when Michael pointed at Jeremy. She nodded in understanding and held the baby out to him. Jeremy reached out and gently took the crying bundle from her arms. Not being able to hold them in anymore, Jeremy felt tears escape from his eyes as he gazed upon his daughter for the first time.

To his surprise, she quit crying and opened her eyes to stare at him. Her eyes were a dark brown that reminded him of Michael’s, but were larger and rounder, not unlike the young girl laying on the pallet. Her skin was a light mocha color, her features soft and pixy-like. She had a vast amount of black hair on the top of her head. Jeremy was in love.

Marisol was a CEO of nonprofit foundation that’s sole purpose was to help improve the lives of children of low economic families in the Philippines by giving them educational and social opportunities. She had an extensive network of government and business allies that help her make kids’ dreams possible.

When Michael and Jeremy made the decision to adopt, they were not for sure how to go about doing it. After talking to Rich (now a highly successful social worker), they finally were able to get their plan off the ground. Before they were given adoption options, however, Marisol had heard from Maria that they were looking in to adoption. This led Marisol to contact Michael about a young girl she had met through an acquaintance that knew of her foundation. Once given the details, Marisol made it her mission to help the girl in any way that she could.

The facts about the girl were simple, but telling. The girl was 13 years-old and currently lived with her grandmother in a rural community a few hours outside of Manila. Her family was of poor economic status, and what little they did have was spent on farming and scants amount of food. The girl had become pregnant, causing her grandmother to kick her out of the house. The father’s identity remained unknown, the girl refusing to talk about what events led up to the conception of the child. Both Michael and Jeremy had their own ideas, but didn’t have the heart to voice them aloud.

Marisol had managed to make a compromise with the girl’s grandmother. If the girl could live with her through the pregnancy, then the foundation would pay her a large sum and take the baby. Marisol had plans for the birth mother as well, but would make another compromise after the child was placed in appropriate care. Marisol feared the grandmother would use the child as leverage somehow if she thought the foundation was going to take away one of her farm hands.

Marisol had become increasingly worried about where to place the child. Benjie and Marisol felt they were too old to raise another child, and she wanted to give the child to people she trusted. So, when she heard of Jeremy and Michael’s adoption interest, she quickly got in contact with them. It was a decision that Michael and Jeremy would be forever thankful for.

He caressed her little cheek and she gave him a gummy smile. Jeremy chuckled and looked up at Michael who was smiling at them. Not feeling it was fair to keep her all to himself, he handed her to him. Michael looked at her adoringly. This left no doubt in Jeremy’s mind that their child was going to wind up being tremendously spoiled.

Jeremy smiled as Michael began to make faces at the infant, who began to arch her brows in a frown, obviously not for sure how to react to the strange man’s antics. It was amusing him to no end. While Michael was preoccupied, Jeremy looked at the seemingly forgotten girl laying down, looking at the opening of the hut at the blue sky outside with a pained expression.

Getting Marisol’s attention, Jeremy asked in a low voice, “Does she speak English?”

Marisol’s face looked downcast as she shook her head. “She has never been to school before to learn it. Her family has had her working in the fields since she was very young.” Jeremy’s heart ached for the young girl who had experienced so much heartache for one so young.

“Can you teach me how to say something?” Marisol nodded. He practiced on his pronunciation with Marisol, and then sat beside the girl. She looked at him with apprehension. He gave her a gentle smile in return, not wanting to scare the preteen.

“Ano bang pangalan mo?” he asked.

“Lilibeth,” with downcast eyes she whispered back. Jeremy nodded and held out his hand.

“Jeremy,” he said in introduction. Hesitantly, she took his hand and shook with a slight smile. Jeremy turned his look in to a serious one, squeezing her hand tenderly.

“Salamat sa na nanganak sa aming mga anak na babae,” he said tenderly. The girl looked at him with a shocked expression, slightly parting her full lips. Then, she began to silently cry. Leaning forward, Jeremy hugged her slight frame to his chest, letting her pour out her grief in privacy. He did not ask Marisol how to say anything else, but in this case, he didn’t need to use words to express himself. When she was done, Lilibeth pulled away and gave him a watery smiled.

“Maraming salamat sa inyo, pakibigyan mo sa kaniya ang buhay na hindi ko,” she said with tears in her eyes. Marisol, who had been silently standing behind him, translated. He felt his eyes begin to sting again, nodding to the girl who was wise beyond her years. It was then that Jeremy knew he would never forget the young face in front of him for the rest of his life.

_________________________________________________________

They were speeding down the road back to Manila when Jeremy and Michael began to converse about baby names, their daughter sleeping in her new car seat (curtesy of Marisol) in between them. There were no arguments over her being named after Maria, Michael’s mother, but the second name was stumping them. Jeremy’s mother was a no-go for obvious reasons. Michael, while loving Christine as a sister just as much as Jeremy, still felt awkward at the thought of naming their child after Jeremy’s ex. They didn’t want just a random name, they wanted a meaningful one.

They sat in silence, both racking their brains. The little girl between them had both of her dads’ fingers clasped in both of her tiny hands while sleeping, much to their delight. Jeremy looked out the window of the passing countryside. He thought of Lilibeth and her circumstances. Jeremy hoped that Marisol would be able to help her one day. She seemed so mature for her age, and her eyes held wisdom. Surely, she would succeed in whatever opportunities Marisol gave her. It was this line of thinking that Jeremy knew his baby’s name.

Turning to Michael, Jeremy asked, “What about Maria Lilibeth? Lily?”

“Lily…,” Michael said, testing it out. Their little girl made a cooing noise in her sleep, causing the two grown men to melt. Michael gave an affirmative nod.

“I like it! She looks like a Lily,” Michael said excitedly as he gazed upon her in adoration. Marisol turned around from the front and smiled.

“Lily! Such a pretty name. Her birth mother would be honored,” she said. Jeremy smiled back and nodded.

He looked down at his little girl…no… _their_ little girl. Lily. Their daughter, Maria Lilibeth Mell. It sounded right, and felt right. Jeremy smiled as he gazed upon his husband, who was still staring at their sleeping Lily, and his daughter. His life had taken many twists and turns, many he never would have expected, but he was glad this was where he had ended up.

There truly never was any place that Jeremy would rather be now than with his husband and daughter right at this moment. He loved them, and he loved his life. Now, he was even more excited for what the future had in store.

 

The End

 

 

 

           

 

 _ano ang pangalan mo_ \- What is your name?

 _Salamat sa na nanganak sa aming mga anak na babae_ \- Thank you for giving birth to our daughter.

 _Maraming salamat sa inyo, pakibigyan mo sa kaniya ang buhay na hindi ko_ \- Thank you, please give her the life that I could not.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Once again, I apologize if the Tagalog is incorrect (I used an online translator). I had fun making up different family members for Michael (Jeremy too since their married)! Lily is also my creation, I loves hers! I thought it would be cool if Rich became a social worker. I like to imagine that when he got older he would be interested in helping kids get out of situations like he was in as a kid. Thanks for all the support, comments, and kudos! I really enjoyed writing this boyf riends story (if my frequent posts weren't an indicator)! :)


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